Stupak seeks re-election based on experience and record

October 22, 2008|By Noah Fowle News-Review Staff Writer

In seeking his fifth term as the U.S. congressional representative for the 1st District, Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, relies on his experience, record and clear stance on both foreign and domestic issues.

As a Democrat, Stupak enjoys the rare endorsement by both the National Rifle Association and Right to Life. Stupak voted against the recent bailout package and the Great Lakes compact - citing certain weaknesses he wanted to take time to correct - and remains a strong opponent to the War in Iraq.

However, he said job creation and the country's poor economy are the top issues for voters and pointed to a trio of projects he ushered in during his last term. Stupak helped transfer $26 million for the Mascoma ethanol plant project from Tennessee to the Upper Peninsula, he lobbied for the Cleveland Cliffs Inc. to relocate its iron ore nugget project from Minnesota to the Upper Peninsula and he helped deliver a new airport hangar in Oscoda that created 250 new jobs. Despite recent successes, Stupak said the underpinnings of the economy are not strong and that citizens should prepare for a recessed economy for the next 12 to 18 months.

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"While Government can't create jobs, it has an aggressive role to play," said Stupak. "Although we have good projects coming in, the challenge is how do we keep that going. We're not going to get out of this (recession) in a hurry."

Stupak added that the government also has a role to play in helping Americans get access to affordable health insurance and that health care costs are making every product more expensive to produce in America. He said that the rising cost of health care far outstrips the wage increases.

Stupak advocates for expanding current government programs that cover children and low-income families, lowering Medicare's age requirement from 65-years-old to 55-years-old and allow everyone to pay into the federal health benefits program for similar coverage as government employees. He added that a national, single-payer plan was not the answer and that anti-trust laws should be repealed from insurance companies.

"We pay for health care in a backwards way that makes us less competitive," he said. "The hardest age group to insure is from 55 to 65, why not give people the option to buy into Medicare earlier? The programs are there and they work. Let's give people more access."

Stupak's answers to Iraq, global warming and the Great Lakes Compact were in stark contrast to his Republican opponent, State Rep. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba. Stupak supports a 16-month plan for withdrawal and disagrees that a timetable telegraphed the country's strategy to its enemies.

"There was a timetable when we announced the surge," he said. "A timetable is needed to get Iraqi government to step up. The surge may have quelled the violence but it hasn't moved the government there toward a more stable government. They're just getting paid to play nice."

Stupak said he believes that recent changes in the global climate were attributable to the actions of man and the excess use of fossil fuels. While some changes could be cyclical, Stupak said those cycles are getting more and more drastic and closer and closer together.

While Stupak has been a strong proponent of the Great Lakes, he said his recent vote against the compact was because of unclear language in the bill.

"For the first time we defined water as a product," he said. "And no one could tell me if that subjects it to international trade agreements. The governors spent 10 years on this and we were asked to deal with it in 20 legislative days with no trials. I didn't understand the rush."